Vietnam and the Philippines: Strategic partners in a changing region

Vietnam and the Philippines are celebrating five decades of diplomatic relations this year. It began on July 12, 1976, after a visit to Manila of then-Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Phan Hien. At that time, the Philippines was the fourth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), after Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, to have ties with Vietnam. The following year, the Philippine Embassy was established in Hanoi.

The diplomatic ties took on even greater significance in 2015, with the two countries elevating their relationship into a strategic partnership. This marked the beginning of a new phase that goes beyond bilateral cooperation. The ties that bind the Philippines and Vietnam increasingly carry a broader, more long-term regional strategic significance.

At a time of rising geopolitical competition and increasing uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific region, both countries recognize the importance of strengthening partnerships anchored in mutual respect, strategic trust, and adherence to international law.

In the past five decades, economic cooperation has become one of the brightest pillars of the relationship. Specifically, bilateral trade surpassed $8 billion by late 2024, a record figure reflecting deeper market integration and diversified commercial activity.

Investment flows are also growing. By 2025, Vietnamese investments in the Philippines have exceeded $90 million, while Philippine investments in Vietnam topped $200 million, with interests spanning aviation, technology, services, and manufacturing sectors.

And while agriculture remains a key pillar of the bilateral trade between the Philippines and Vietnam, cooperation between the two has also expanded into aviation, logistics, telecommunications, information technology, renewable energy, tourism, and the digital economy.

Similarly, tourism has shown remarkable growth. In 2025, Vietnam welcomed approximately 482,000 visitors from the Philippines, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 80%. Direct flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, and Cebu have continued to expand, facilitating tourism, investment, and people-to-people exchanges. A critical factor driving tourism growth has been the expansion of direct air connectivity between the two countries. Airlines from both Vietnam and the Philippines now operate multiple nonstop services linking major cities.

DEFENSE AND SECURITY
But in today’s increasingly contested geopolitical environment, the strategic partnership has transcended economics and evolved into a richer, more complex, and more consequential relationship.

While economic cooperation forms the material foundation of bilateral ties, defense and security cooperation has become one of the most important pillars of the relationship. Vietnam is steadily becoming a strategic defense and security partner of the Philippines, particularly in the maritime domain amid evolving security challenges in the South China Sea.

Since the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2015, the two countries have institutionalized and expanded a wide range of cooperation mechanisms, including maritime dialogue mechanisms, defense policy dialogues, naval and coast guard exchanges, maritime information sharing, search and rescue coordination, humanitarian assistance and disaster response cooperation, as well as joint efforts against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

As staunch advocates of international law and the rules-based order, Vietnam and the Philippines consistently uphold the importance of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and freedom of navigation and overflight. Both countries have increasingly emphasized the need to resist coercive and destabilizing actions that undermine regional security and international law.

More importantly, both Manila and Hanoi understand that regional peace and stability cannot be preserved by rhetoric alone. It requires sustained cooperation among like-minded neighbors that share an interest in safeguarding sovereignty, promoting economic resilience, and ensuring that smaller states continue to have agency in shaping the future of Southeast Asia.

DIPLOMATIC VISIT
Vietnam’s General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm is slated to visit the Philippines in the coming days. This is a trip that carries profound significance. On both sides, expectations are high that the two countries would further elevate their bilateral ties.

Indeed, Filipinos and the Vietnamese have many things in common and share fundamental values. In an environment of unabated, multi-faceted and multi-domain threats, we need to lean in on our relationships with those who have a natural affinity with us.

We anticipate new agreements and expanded cooperation in defense and maritime security. Certainly, there will be a reinforcement of the growing strategic alignment between our two countries. After all, we both want a peaceful, stable, and rules-based international order in Southeast Asia.

Of course, economic cooperation as a material foundation of the relationship will always be there. But the promotion of a peaceful, stable, and rules-based regional order, particularly in the maritime domain, has now become a priority as well.

As we commemorate five decades of partnership with Vietnam, may we be reminded that relations with natural allies do not only carry the weight of their commitments to each other. In a broader, more strategic sense, our ties also have deep implications in pushing for and maintaining a region grounded on values and principles of decency, respect, and reciprocal benefit for the good of their peoples.

Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit is the president of the Stratbase ADR Institute.